Big Ten Basketball Coach Rankings
When John Beilein took over the Michigan Wolverines the team was struggling. They hadn’t made the postseason since the late 1990’s and they needed a shot in the arm.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Beilein provided that burst of energy and now the Wolverines are looked at as one of the best in the Big Ten.
In the nine seasons that Beilein has been the head coach, Michigan has only missed the NCAA Tournament three times.
The last three years have been a pretty good run for Michigan. Just three years ago they made it to the Elite 8 under Beilein. They ended up barely losing to Kentucky that year.
Two years ago they actually missed the postseason but this was a transition year from losing a lot of talent.
Last season they were struggling, to begin with, but made it into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed play-in game. Michigan won that game and then took No. 6, Notre Dame, down to the wire.
Beilein has had this great success with solid recruiting classes as well.
There is one recruiting class that is really skewing these numbers. He had a class that ranked 107th in the nation but for the most part, he has been a great recruiter.
In the last three years, Beilein has averaged a recruiting class of 49th in the country and that includes a 13th ranked class as well.
The way Michigan has transformed from a doormat in the Big Ten to now a contender every year is astonishing. Beilein has a lot do with this great turnaround.
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